Canadian Executives Reveal Third-Quarter Professional-Level Hiring Plans - Robert Half Professional Employment Report: Most Executives to Maintain Current Staff Levels; Recruiting Challenges Persist

TORONTO, June 5 /CNW/ - More than eight in 10 (83 per cent) executives surveyed for the quarterly Robert Half Professional Employment Report (http://www.roberthalf.ca/per) said they anticipate no changes to the size of their teams in the next three months. Nine per cent of respondents plan to add full-time, professional-level staff in the third quarter, while another 4 per cent indicated they will make personnel reductions, for a net 5 per cent projected hiring increase. Recruiting challenges continue to surface for executives -- 41 per cent of those interviewed said they are having difficulty finding people with the skills they need, up five points from the second-quarter survey.

The Robert Half Professional Employment Report is based on telephone interviews with more than 1,000 Canadian-based C-level executives and other senior managers in a variety of fields who are asked about their hiring plans and general level of optimism for the upcoming quarter. Survey respondents include more than 270 chief financial officers (CFOs); 270 chief information officers (CIOs); 150 senior human resources managers; 75 lawyers at law firms and 75 corporate lawyers; and 50 advertising executives and 200 marketing executives, all of whom have hiring authority. The Robert Half Professional Employment Report is the first quarterly executive survey of its size and scope to concentrate exclusively on professional-level hiring.

Key Findings

    <<
    -   Eighty-three per cent of executives expect to make no changes to the
        size of their full-time, professional-level teams. Nine per cent of
        executives anticipate bringing in additional staff in the third
        quarter, and 4 per cent project personnel reductions. The resulting 5
        per cent net hiring increase is down four points from last quarter's
        survey.

    -   Forty-one per cent of executives reported recruiting challenges, up
        five points from the previous quarter.

    -   Nearly nine in 10 (86 per cent) of executives expressed confidence in
        the growth prospects for their firms in the next three months, up
        four points from three months ago.

    -   Respondents in the wholesale sector are most likely to make personnel
        additions in the third quarter; a net 17 per cent said they
        anticipate hiring.

    -   The legal field is expected to see the strongest hiring activity,
        with a net 39 per cent of lawyers planning to increase staff levels
        in the third quarter.



                     Hiring Expectations: By Profession
                                                                Net Increase/
                                         Increase     Decrease      Decrease
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total                                      9%           4%            5%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Accounting and finance                     5%           3%            2%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Advertising and marketing                 10%           6%            4%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Human resources                            7%           6%            1%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Information technology (IT)                8%           2%            6%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Legal                                     42%           3%           39%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Sales and business development            15%           4%           11%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    >>

"Although the general unemployment rate remains fairly high, it's important to keep in mind that unemployment for key positions - particularly in finance and technology - is significantly lower, making it more challenging for employers to find skilled professionals in these fields," said Lara Dodo, regional vice-president of Robert Half in Canada. "Companies who are looking for specialised skills but not ready to commit to a full-time hire, often fill human resource needs with temporary and project professionals. This gives businesses more control over their personnel budgets and the ability to keep current workloads manageable."

Professional-Level Hiring -- By Industry

Third-quarter professional-level hiring is anticipated to be strongest in the wholesale industry, where a net 17 per cent of respondents said they expect to make staff additions. This was followed by a net 16 per cent of executives in both the manufacturing and construction sectors who indicated they will increase personnel during the upcoming quarter.

Professional-Level Hiring -- By Field

The legal profession again topped the survey in anticipated hiring, with a net 39 per cent of lawyers planning to add staff. A net 11 per cent of executives in the sales and business development fields indicated they will hire during the third quarter. The legal field also reported the greatest difficulty in finding skilled professionals, as cited by 73 per cent of executives, followed by the technology and marketing fields, each with 50 per cent.

About Robert Half International

Founded in 1948, Robert Half International, the world's first and largest specialised staffing firm, is a recognised leader in professional staffing services. The company's specialised staffing divisions include Accountemps, Robert Half Finance & Accounting and Robert Half Management Resources, for temporary, full-time and senior-level project professionals, respectively, in the fields of accounting and finance; OfficeTeam, for highly skilled office and administrative support professionals; Robert Half Technology, for information technology professionals; Robert Half Legal, for legal personnel; and The Creative Group, for interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals. Robert Half International has staffing and consulting operations in more than 400 locations worldwide. Find more information at http://www.roberthalf.ca, and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/RobertHalf_CAN.

Nadia Santoli, [phone], [email protected]